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L.D.S. Family Travels:
Harmony (Oakland)
by Becky Cardon Smith
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Harmony Township (now called Oakland Township) is located in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, very close to the New York state line. Isaac and Elizabeth Hale were some of the first permanent settlers in this area. They moved from Vermont in 1791 along with Elizabeth’s brother and his wife. Isaac and Elizabeth raised their nine children in a home located near the banks of the Susquehanna River; their seventh child was a daughter named Emma. In 1825, Joseph Smith Jr. and his father boarded with the Hale family for about a month while working at a local mining operation. Joseph met and fell in love with Emma; they were married on January 18, 1827. Joseph and Emma moved back to Harmony in December of 1827, first living with the Hale family and then moving nearby to a small farm and house.

Many significant events in Church history occurred in this area from 1828 to 1830. Most of the Book of Mormon was translated in Harmony, including the first 116 pages that Martin Harris was allowed to borrow and subsequently had stolen. It was in this area that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic Priesthood from John The Baptist. The Prophet also received fifteen revelations now found in D&C 3-13, 24-27. Sadly, it was also here that Emma and Joseph lost their first child, Alvin, who was born and died on the same day.

PLANNING YOUR TIME

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This is a wonderful and important stop to make while traveling through the general area, or as a day trip from Palmyra. The sites are located about 120 miles southeast of the Manchester/Palmyra area. While in Harmony, allow yourself about 30 to 60 minutes to view Joseph and Emma’s home site, the home site of her parents, the cemetery where Joseph and Emma’s first child and other extended family members are buried, and to see the Monument to the Aaronic Priesthood. Three of the sites are next to each other and the other is located across the street. There is plenty of parking, a grassy area to stretch your legs, but no restroom facilities.

SITES TO SEE

• Joseph and Emma Smith Home Site – The couple’s home once stood just to the right of the present Aaronic Priesthood Monument. The Prophet purchased this 13½-acre parcel of land from Isaac Hale and also a two-story frame home from Jesse Hale, Emma’s brother. Joseph then had the frame home moved onto his parcel of land. The home, which had no basement, burned down in 1919. While living in this home, Joseph translated much of the Book of Mormon with the help of several scribes including Martin Harris, Emma, her brother Reuben Hale, and Joseph’s brother Samuel Smith. The largest part was translated with the help of Oliver Cowdery. On June 15, 1828, Joseph and Emma’s first child, Alvin, was born but died shortly after birth. Emma, herself, nearly died and Joseph spent several weeks lovingly nursing her back to health while anxiously waiting for Martin Harris to return with the 116 pages of manuscript. After moving to Fayette to finish the translation in June of 1829, Joseph returned to his home at Harmony around August of that same year. But with persecution increasing, and with concerns for their own safety, Joseph and Emma permanently left Harmony in late August of 1830, moving first to Fayette and ultimately on to Ohio.

• Aaronic Priesthood Monument – Dr. Avard Fairbanks sculpted this beautiful granite monument that was dedicated on June 18, 1960. The three bronze figures on the monument represent John the Baptist conferring the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Take time to read the inscription at the base of the monument and also read the information on the “Aaronic Priesthood Restoration” sign immediately to the right of the monument.

• McKune Cemetery – This small cemetery is located just to the left of the Aaronic Priesthood Monument. With your back to the monument, the graves of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale are located about the sixth row from the far left corner (very close to the road). Notice that the original headstones are imbedded in new headstones so that you can view the original on one side and you are able to read the text on the other side. Isaac passed away in 1839 at the age of 75 and Elizabeth died 3 years later also at age 75. About four headstones to the right of Elizabeth Hale’s grave is the grave of Alvin Smith, who was born and died on June 15, 1828. Also notice the gravestone just to the right of Alvin’s. It is that of his cousin, Nancy Hale, the daughter of Jesse and Mary Hale (Emma’s brother and sister-in-law). Nancy died just a few months before Alvin, on January 29, 1828. She was just 2 ½ years old.

• Isaac and Elizabeth Hale Home Site –The Prophet first met Emma while boarding in this home. Isaac did not approve of Joseph’s interest in his daughter. Considering Joseph uneducated and of dubious character, Isaac thought his cultured, schoolteacher daughter could do better. Less than a year after their marriage, Joseph and Emma temporarily lived with the Hales before moving into their own two-story frame home. Joseph was threatened by mobs while working on the translation but Isaac had become more favorable towards his son-in-law and used his influence to keep the mobs at bay (JS–H 1:75). However Isaac’s feelings were again turned against the Prophet by the time Joseph and Emma returned to Harmony from Fayette. A minister had told many falsehoods about the Prophet, and Isaac believed them. Without Isaac’s support, the persecution escalated, finally forcing Joseph and Emma to leave permanently. The Hale cabin site is located just across the street from the other sites. The original home burned down in the 1870s and was rebuilt in the 1880s. The rebuilt home was eventually torn down in the early 1950’s. To view the home site, walk across State 171 from the Aaronic Priesthood Monument (be very careful crossing – cars come by very fast). Almost directly across the street from the red wooden Aaronic Priesthood sign, you will see a trail that leads you on a short walk across a small streambed and into a meadow. Turn left at the meadow and look near the road for a split-rail fence enclosure with a sign identifying the home site area (not the first rail enclosure but the second one).

• Susquehanna River – Many important events occurred in and along the banks of the Susquehanna River, although their exact locations were not recorded. While Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were translating 3rd Nephi, they were impressed with the importance of baptism. On May 15, 1829, Joseph and Oliver went into the woods and prayed near the banks of the river. As they were praying, “a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light” (JS-H 1:68). The messenger was John the Baptist, who had baptized Christ (Matthew 3:13). John the Baptist laid his hands upon the heads of Joseph and Oliver, conferring the Aaronic Priesthood. Following John’s instructions, Joseph then baptized Oliver, after which Oliver baptized Joseph. (For a more detailed account read JS-H 1:68-74.) It was also “in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river” that Joseph and Oliver received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James, and John (D&C 128:20).